FY2016
Federal Initiatives of the University of Montana
Royce C. Engstrom
President
FY2016 Federal Initiatives
Table of Contents
Electronic copies of the FY2016 project descriptions contained in this book are available at:
www.umt.edu/research/fedinit/fedall2016.pdf
Defense and Veterans
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Defense Critical Languages and Cultures Program
Cybersecurity and Big Data
Neural Injury Center
Agriculture, Ecology and Fire
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McIntire Stennis Cooperative Forest Research Program
Wildland Fire Science Partnership
Wildlife Biology
USGS Cooperative Research Unit (CRU)
Forest Products/Wood Utilization
NSF EPSCoR
Health and Education
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Neuroscience – the Brain Initiative
Montana Safe Schools Center
Rural Institute on Disabilities
Re-authorization of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 / Workforce Investment Act
NIH IDeA
Pell Grants
Native American
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UM National Native Children’s Trauma Center
Native American and Rural Health
For details or more information, contact Dr. Scott L. Whittenburg, Vice President for Research and Creative Scholarship, The University of
Montana, at VPR@umontana.edu or (406) 243-4766
Defense and Veterans
Defense Critical Languages and Cultures Program
UM has received funding from the Department of Defense, Operations and Maintenance, Defense-wide, for language
instruction and cultural background training related to Arabic and Chinese. A special focus has been Afghanistan,
although the program is expanding into other areas and needs to turn its focus more in these new directions.
Funding has been obtained through direct contact with DOD/National Security Education Program and response to
BAAs. The University is also interested in looking at larger contract opportunities.
Cybersecurity and Big Data
The University of Montana is expanding our current efforts in a two-year cybersecurity degree and the newly created
Cyber Innovation Laboratory, developed in collaboration with state technology companies, to create new certificate
and degree offerings involving cybersecurity, big data and assurance. Working in collaboration with the IBM’s
Academic Initiative, the University already boasts a national, first-of-its-kind undergraduate course in stream
computing, allowing students to learn real-time analytical skills in mathematics, computer science and business
process optimization. This initiative will expand our commitment to education in this field critical to local businesses
and promote research in an area of increasing federal support.
Neural Injury Center
The UM Neural Injury Center is part of UM's campus-wide initiative to provide diagnostic care and
rehabilitative intervention for veterans and other Montanan’s with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Center
stands apart as a resource for veterans as it provides state-of-the-art clinical intervention for patients
within a university setting that is not only coupled with basic biomedical research, but facilitates the direct
integration of their rehabilitative therapy with their educational goals.
Agriculture, Ecology and Fire
McIntire Stennis Cooperative Forest Research Program
The McIntire Stennis program provides support to state- certified Schools of Forestry across the U.S. The program is
funded under the USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Funds are formula-based and must be
matched on a one-to-one basis. Funds can be used for research and training across a broad variety of efforts
including ecological restoration; catastrophe management; valuing ecological services; energy conservation, biomass
and biobased materials; carbon sequestration and climate change; fostering healthy forests; and maintaining
competitiveness in the forestry resource sector. The FY 2014 House number is $32.934 million and the Senate
number is $33.961M.
Wildland Fire Science Partnership
The Wildland Fire Science Partnership is a joint program of the US Forest Service, the University of Montana and the
University of Idaho. It is funded under the Forest Service/Joint Fire Science account in the Interior Appropriations Bill
and operated out of the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Fort Collins, CO. Current funding for the Partnership is
$2.6 million which is divided as follows: $1.3 million to the Forest Service and $650,000 each to UM and UI. The
program is designed to integrate multiple fire programs to give wildland fire managers new approaches, techniques,
information and advanced tools to help them address rising fire suppression costs, deteriorating ecosystems,
increasing fire hazards and other disturbances that affect water and environmental quality.
Wildlife Biology
The University of Montana is a leader in both educating students in wildlife biology and in conducting research in
selected areas. Montana's tourism and timber and agricultural industries are dependent on understanding of the
wildlife-habitat relationships. UM can be -- and needs to be -- a leader in the emerging fields of conservation
genetics, landscape pattern and connectivity and quantitative wildlife ecology. It can build on its expertise in
threatened and endangered species, the maintenance of biological diversity and problems associated with small
population sizes. UM will be seeking research funding for these areas. We may also consider a workshop or
conference designed to identify the top 10 challenges in wildlife biology research, moving beyond individual species
to more integrative approaches.
USGS Cooperative Research Unit (CRU)
UM houses the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. Research emphases within the Unit include ecology and
management of carnivores, applied landscape ecology, management of large game, interactions between forest
management and wildlife, environmental influences on the demography and diversity of birds and related issues.
CRUs generally have several positions assigned to a campus. For FY 2013, the budget request was $18.921 million, a
slight increase over the FY 2012 appropriated level of $18.7 million but a slight reduction from the $19.1 million
appropriated in FY 2012.
Forest Products/Wood Utilization
For many years, UM participated in a Wood Utilization Research (WUR) consortium that consisted of 14 institutions.
Funding was earmarked under USDA/NIFA and used for research on sustainable bioproducts from wood and woody
residues, advanced engineered wood and biopolymer composites, biofuels, biopharmaceuticals and the
manufacture, marketing and economic analysis of these bioproducts. While there are no longer earmarks, some
language which seems to have similar objectives has been included in the Agriculture Appropriations Bill under the
title, “forest products”.
NSF EPSCoR
Montana NSF EPSCoR is a statewide science infrastructure program funded by the National Science Foundation.
EPSCoR, which stands for Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, builds capacity across the state
in science and technology through investments in people, tools, and ideas. Montana currently has an NSF Track-1
EPSCoR of approximately $4M per year to develop research infrastructure. The NSF EPSCoR program also funds
Track-2 awards which include several NSF EPSCoR jurisdictions and Track-3 awards which are single faculty awards.
Health and Education
Neuroscience – the Brain Initiative
The University of Montana has embarked on the formation of the Brain Institute in response to the national Brain
Initiative. UM has a number of faculty, departments and schools/colleges that would be major contributors to the
Brain Institute include the recently proposed Center for Neural Injury and Rehabilitation, the School of Physical
Therapy and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy, within the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences and
the social sciences and psychology within the College of Arts and Sciences. The proposed institute will provide a
collaborative platform for university researchers to seek additional federal funding in neuroscience and help support
educational initiatives in this and related fields.
Montana Safe Schools Center
The MSSC program provides schools not only in Montana but across the US with training, research and professional
development services covering a variety of topics from suicide prevention to emergency response and crisis
management. UM houses MSSC, but all funding comes from grants and consultation fees, which are negotiable
based on the needs and resources of the school. In particular, the Center is interested in working with the
Department of
Defense and the services to address domestic violence and child abuse among the force. Safe Schools for FY 14 the
House number is $75 million and the Senate number is $150 million.
Rural Institute on Disabilities
UM’s Rural Institute on Disabilities teamed with the Research and Training Center on Independent Living at the
University of Kansas to develop this program. Living Well with a Disability aims to reduce the severity and incidence
of secondary conditions (e.g. depression and pressure sores) by promoting healthy, independent living. Federal
funding currently comes from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) in the
Department of Education.
Re-authorization of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 / Workforce Investment Act
UM’s RTC:Rural program currently receives funding from the NIDRR, a division of the Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services within the Department of Education. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 actually requires the
NIDRR to fund a rural center. This requirement does not appear in at least one draft of the Workforce Investment Act
of 2012 though, leaving the potential for a rural center to appear at odds with the NIDRR’s long-range plan. Changing
the language to include a requirement will help ensure the RTC:Rural program receives NIDRR funding.
NIH IDeA
The IDeA program is NIH’s version of EPSCoR. There are two components to IDeA. One is the INBRE program which
seeks to develop a network of researchers in the medical and biomedical fields and the other is the COBRE program
which supports the development of research clusters. UM has been successful in the COBRE program including a
recently announce COBRE 3 award this year. For FY14 the Senate number is $275.957 million.
Pell Grants
Students pursuing undergraduate degrees can apply for this need-based grant, which does not have to be repaid, by
filling out FAFSA. Awards are determined based on expected family contribution, cost of attendance per institution,
the student’s enrollment status and whether the student attends for a full academic year or less. The grant will now
only cover 12 straight semesters, rather than the previous 18. Funds will only cover fall and spring courses, leaving
students who take summer courses to find other sources of funding, such as Stafford loans. A recent change to that
structure means the loans begin accumulating interest at the end of study, whether the student has graduated or is
no longer enrolled. It also led to significant decrease in summer enrollment at UM. About 37 percent of UM students
receive Pell Grants.
Native American
UM National Native Children’s Trauma Center
Suicide leaves a deep mark in Montana communities and in the social fabric of our state. In June 2014, the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control ranked Montana and Wyoming highest in the nation for suicide. Montana has ranked in
the top 5 states for death by suicide for each of the past 35 years. Nationally, the annual economic cost of suicide is
calculated at $42.2 billion. Separately, for every suicide death there is an average of 6 individuals or “survivors”
profoundly impacted by the loss. These numbers climb substantially in small, close knit communities and on
Montana’s seven American Indian reservations. Accordingly, in Montana the number of individuals deeply impacted
is, at a minimum, 1,400 each year but may be 4,000 or higher. The University of Montana’s National Native Children’s
Trauma Center (NNCTC) and Montana Safe Schools Center (MSSC) proposes creation of a framework for
dissemination to public health departments, hospitals, clinics and schools in each of the Montana’s 56 counties, as
well as the Montana Office of Public Instruction and the Department of Public Health and Human Services.
Intervention and protocol training via the proposed Montana Resiliency Network will be available through 9 regional
trainings per funding year, with trainer support, cross-agency referral, protocol, advocacy, and case management
assistance facilitated by 9 regional, part time staff. The framework will outline clear, concise and practical, guidance
for: 1) suicide prevention programming, 2) media messaging, 3) suicide screening, 4) emergency department
assessment, 5) patient referral, 6) follow up care, 7) emergency transportation, 8) workplace suicide prevention, 9)
postvention and 10) training.
Native American and Rural Health
The University of Montana and Montana Tech propose to work with Montana Northern Plains Indian and rural
populations across the state to build capacity to address health disparities and disability due to chronic conditions
and disease. The University will use a grassroots, community-based participatory approach to assess gaps in critical
resources, knowledge and services focused on prevention, early detection and early intervention of diseases
particularly relevant to Native American and rural populations such as type-2 diabetes, obesity, cancer, trauma and
injury.
MAKING AN IMPACT ON
Wildlife Biology
THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA’S Wildlife Biology Program is – and will continue to be – a leader in the
emerging fields of conservation genetics, landscape connectivity, and quantitative wildlife ecology.
Protecting the park and forest lands of
Glacier National Park and the Crown of the
Continent for future generations should be
high priority. This is a special area of our
nation, but one subject to significant impact
by climate and weather-related events. The
long-term implications for wildlife in the
area are disturbing.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has
taken a primary role in researching and
responding to needs of the area. One
example is the National Climate Change and
Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC), created
in 2008 to assist in meeting the challenges
of climate change and its effects on wildlife.
The NCCWSC has four primary goals:
• Forecast fish and wildlife population
and habitat changes in response to
climate change;
• Assess the vulnerability and risk of
species and habitats to climate change;
• Link models of physical change (such as
temperature and precipitation) with
models that predict ecological, habitat
and population responses;
• Develop standardized approaches to
monitoring and help link existing
efforts to climate and ecological or
biological response models.
Other divisions of USGS are also pursuing
research and management strategies that
are associated with climate change and
wildlife. The Northern Rockies Science
Center, for example, has a number of
scientists in the Glacier area.
But, much more remains to be done. The
University of Montana can assist by
collaborating with the USGS, involving its
students in the Wildlife Biology Program,
and building on existing research strengths,
including predicting population trends,
identifying critical landscape corridors,
invasive species management, developing
genetic tools for conservation, assessing
physiological stress, and protecting
freshwater ecosystems.
The University of Montana is a leader in educating students in wildlife biology
and conducting wildlife research. The Wildlife Biology Program was
established in 1936 and currently enrolls students from 37 states and 8
countries. Research has covered a wide range of species, including wolverines,
bear, elk, snowshoe hare, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, bull trout and
westslope cutthroat trout. Research has tended to focus on small populations
and corridors for migration, which are of particular importance to maintaining
individual species and overall biodiversity.
One of the strengths of the University’s program is its location – close to
Glacier National Park and the Crown of the Continent, as well as thousands of
acres of other park, forest, and wilderness land. These are the habitats for the
many species that inhabit our national parks and forestlands, sustaining
biodiversity, ecosystem services, and the spectacular Northern Rockies
ecosystem––a national treasure which attracts scientists and tourists from all
over the world.
These areas are, however, facing an increasing number of challenges from
extreme weather events, intense wildland fires, water scarcity, and the threat
of invasive species. All of these can affect the ecology and habitats which
wildlife depends upon, putting new stresses on ecosystems already responding
to long-term climate trends. While there is widespread knowledge of how
these trends are threatening the iconic glaciers of Glacier National Park, other
impacts are less well known and understood.
These impacts on ecosystems and habitats ultimately affect animal food
supplies, hibernation cycles, migration, population growth, and interactions
with human beings. Understanding and mitigating these impacts is a pressing
need in order to protect native species, maintain biodiversity and the many
valuable services intact ecosystems provide, and retain the heritage which is
so intertwined with our nation’s history and concept of the American west.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Winsor Lowe (406-243-4375; winsor.lowe@umontana.edu)
BUDGET REQUEST
Budget request: For FY 2016, the University requests that $2 million be
included in the USGS budget (perhaps under NCCWSC) to expand research on
habitat and ecosystem impact on the major and threatened species of the
Glacier and Crown of the Continent area, with emphasis on development of
management strategies to protect the wildlife of the area.
MAKING AN IMPACT ON
Wildland Fires
THE WILDLAND Fire Science Partnership is a cooperative research and science delivery team of scientists and
students from the University of Montana, the University of Idaho, and the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain
Research Station. Innovations from the WFSP are increasing effectiveness of fire management through application
of relevant science, educating current and future fire professionals, and sharing science with users.
FY16 Projects:
Smoke and fuels science. We
will partner with the National
Wildland Fire Coordinating
Group to deliver an updated
smoke management guide and
will deliver content for both
education and training courses,
made broadly accessible online.
Mobile technology for
improved firefighter safety. We
will deliver applications that
support better decision-making
and that increase situational
awareness
Initial Decision Information
Systems (IDIS). IDIS will focus
exclusively on the first and most
important decision on every
fire: how to engage. IDIS’s tools,
data, maps, and information will
provide extensive initial
decision support for fire
managers.
Satellite assessments before,
during and after fires. Remote
sensing and field assessments
are widely used to map fire
potential, on-going fires, and
fire effects. Our guides improve
effectiveness helping to predict
and assess burn severity.
Learning Networks. WFSP will
integrate boots-on-the-ground
service with science,
technology, and education. We
will bring fire professionals to
the lab to work with cuttingedge technology. Students will
gain academic and operational
experience as they work on
degrees. Our professional
networks allow sharing of new
ideas and strategies and provide
outreach strategies to managers
and citizens.
Wildfires are on the rise. Fire seasons today are longer, involve more large fires, and drive
up suppression and rehabilitation costs. Effective fire management must protect people,
limit money spent, and foster resilience to future fires. Strategic, cohesive action,
grounded in science is needed. That science must be shared with the public. Science can
help managers mitigate wildfire risks and help residents, local governments, and public
policy work together to improve wildfire management. Without proactive work, fire
seasons will become more destructive and costly, threatening people and landscapes in
ever-expanding wildland-urban settings.
The Wildland Fire Science Partnership has provided independent perspectives on natural
resource management; extraordinary scientific, technical, and educational capacity; and
unique interdisciplinary teams of scientists, students, and managers. We provide solutions
and science-based strategies for dealing with the new realities of fire.
• The WFSP is a proven leader in fire science and management.
• We deliver timely, relevant science to land managers, policy makers, and citizens.
• We educate leaders and work with managers to reduce fire costs and increase
safety.
• Our work is oriented to economical and sustainable forest and rangeland
management.
• We have educated dozens of firefighting students, who are now professional
leaders better prepared to deal with current challenges.
• Our technology has save > $500k in fire aviation costs and reduced exposure of
firefighters to hazard.
• We have assisted people in effectively addressing current and future fire
challenges.
• We are building research capacity and collaboration to benefit people in the West,
the U. S. and the world.
The FY15 Projects listed will: (1) improve fire fighter and public safety, (2) provide science
for effective fire management, and (3) further the health and resilience of forests and
rangelands.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Jim Burchfield, Dean of the College of Forestry and Conservation, University of
Montana; 406-243-5521; james.burchfield@umontana.edu
Kurt Pregitzer, Dean of the College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho; 208885-6442
BUDGET REQUEST
FY16 Request: $2.6M
Program Title: Wildland Fire Science Partnership
Appropriation Bill: Interior. Department: USDA Forest Service
MAKING AN IMPACT ON
Defense Critical Language and Culture
The Defense Critical Language and Culture Program (DCLCP) provides intensive language and culture training
for members of the Active Duty Military, the National Guard, Reserve and Intelligence Agencies utilizing a
congressionally funded contract through the Defense Language and National Security Education Office
(DLNSEO). DCLCP customers are primarily Special Operations Forces (Army and Marine), Intelligence Agencies,
and the National Guard. Currently training includes on-site (University of Montana) and synchronous on-line
language courses in Chinese, Dari, Farsi, Korean and Pashto; as well as culture courses about the Middle East,
Central Asia, China, and Korea. Reflective of the armed forces reduced footprint in Central and Southwest Asia,
and the US foreign policy shift towards East Asia, DCLCP has retained Dari and Pashto language capabilities
while adding Korean and Chinese language and culture courses.
BENEFITS of the DEFENSE CRITICAL
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
PROGRAM
DCLCP courses are designed to enable
students to learn languages and
understand cultures of strategically
significant nations in the world of
modernity at a time when bilateral
and multilateral relations are
increasingly complex. DCLCP provides
students with language fluency and
cultural awareness, essential
elements of Counter-Insurgency
Warfare, allowing them to conduct
effective interaction in a variety of
settings with heritage populations
through language classes ranging
from basic to advance. Each class is
instructed by language and culture
professors and is an accredited
college course from the University of
Montana. DCLCP is committed to
adapting the content, length, location
and timing of instruction and courses
offered to fit the needs of military
units and US government agencies.
Department of Defense test results
demonstrate DCLCP students’ end of
course fluency rates are the best in
the nation
DCLCP has leveraged the academic capabilities of The UM and fully integrated
our program to afford our DoD students the optimal academic experience that
fortifies them with a deep cultural and area studies understanding of their region
and its peoples as well as a language fluency consistent with their diverse needs.
Their accomplishments are validated with transferable college credit as well as
the opportunity to combine their UM credits with those earned elsewhere and
thereby earn a college degree.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Major General (USAF, Ret.) Don Loranger
Director, Defense Critical Language and Culture Program
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center
Office: 406-243-3610
Don.Loranger@mso.umt.edu
lorangerjd@gmail.com
http://www.umt.edu/mansfield/dclcp/
BUDGET REQUEST
For Grant Year 2016 the DCLCP requests an award of $2,930,000.00; this amount
will enable us to continue providing courses in Chinese, Dari, Farsi, Korean and
Pashto while adding courses in Indonesian and Tagalog which have been
requested by Command Language Programs of the Army and Marine Special
Operations Command.
MAKING AN IMPACT ON
Native American and Rural Health
MONTANA is home to 58,000 Native Americans and the majority of the population (49,500) live in rural regions
of the state. Native Americans residing on Montana’s seven reservations are part of the 60% or more of
Montanans living in rural areas where health promotion services and specialty medical care is sparse. The
Universities multi-disciplinary leadership team has expertise in Native American health, rural health and
disability, health promotion, nutrition, physical activity, public and environmental health, behavioral and
clinical psychology, community-based participatory research, continuing education and biomedical sciences.
BENEFITS
The two Universities will work with
Montana tribal college instructors
and their students, tribal health
entities and rural health programs to
develop and implement educational
activities for people interested in
Native American and rural health
professions. These individuals will
participate in behavioral and
community health education and
technical assistance instruction to
enhance skills and knowledge for
working with underserved and
Native American populations. The
cross cutting content of this
instruction includes nutrition,
physical activity, traditional healing
practices, psychology, preventive
medicine screenings and early
disease detection, community
partnership building and basic
science research.
The project has a clear link to the
University’s long-range vision of
assisting Montana communities to
decrease health disparities and
provide employment and
educational opportunities in
community and public health
professions in minority and
underserved populations. The effort
will also support increasing health
care infrastructure for Montana
Indian and rural communities.
The University of Montana and Montana Tech propose to work with Montana
Northern Plains Indian and rural populations across the state to build capacity
to address health disparities and disability due to chronic conditions and
disease. The University will use a grassroots, community-based participatory
approach to assess gaps in critical resources, knowledge and services focused
on prevention, early detection and early intervention of diseases particularly
relevant to Native American and rural populations such as type-2 diabetes,
obesity, cancer, trauma and injury. This approach can address health disparities
by creating a balance between the scientific rigors of an academic institution
with respect for indigenous wisdom about the local situation. The overall goal of
the Institute is to promote sustained, improved health among Montana
Northern Plains Indian and rural communities.
For Montana’s rural and Tribal healthcare providers there are no single
information resources practitioners and consumers can use to make service
universally accessible. The information resources developed through the
Institute’s community-based participatory processes can meet the needs of
individuals working to improve the health of all people living in rural areas.
Moreover, the health promotion resources will reduce inappropriate and
unnecessary medical service utilization; saving resources and meeting the spirit
of healthcare reform for all Americans. Long term plans are to develop a
program that will be sustainable and competitive for NIH P20 program grant
funding through the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Blakely Brown, PhD, RD, Dept. Health and Human Performance; University of
Montana, Missoula MT 59812; blakely.brown@mso.umt.edu, 406-243-6524.
Annie Belcourt and Lori Morin, The College of Health Professions and
Biomedical Sciences; University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812;
annie.belcourt@mso.umt.edu lori.morin@mso.umt.edu 406-243-4080
Martin Blair, Rural Institute, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812;
martin.blair@umontana.edu 406-243-5467
BUDGET REQUEST
FY 16 Budget Request: $3.0 million
Potential Federal Sources: CDC, HHS
The Montana Resilience Network
A framework for rural, community
collaboration in suicide prevention
BACKGROUND
Suicide leaves a deep mark in Montana communities and in the social fabric of our state. In June 2014, the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control ranked Montana and Wyoming highest in the nation for suicide. Montana has ranked in the top 5 states for
death by suicide for each of the past 35 years. Nationally, the annual economic cost of suicide is calculated at $42.2 billion.
Upwards of 25% of suicide deaths go unreported due to issues such as stigma, inaccurate reporting and institutional barriers
to information sharing. Separately, for every suicide death there is an average of 6 individuals or “survivors” profoundly
impacted by the loss. These numbers climb substantially in small, close knit communities and on Montana’s seven American
Indian reservations. Accordingly, in Montana the number of individuals deeply impacted is, at a minimum, 1,400 each year but
may be 4,000 or higher. Unfortunately, research shows that such individuals are 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than
the general population. Clearly, support for those grieving is critical in suicide prevention, yet is often overlooked or
unaddressed. Despite the good efforts of the State of Montana and numerous, dedicated individuals working on this issue, a
critical need still exists for: 1) increasing the number of trained suicide interventionists in the state, 2) improving crisis
information sharing across agencies, and 3) creating clear guidance for schools surrounding both suicide prevention activities
and recovery or “postvention” protocols after suicide loss.
CRITICAL NEED: A framework outlining suicide prevention,
intervention, assessment and recovery / postvention practices for
Montana’s urban and rural communities and related skills training
through the establishment of the Montana Resiliency Network.
The University of Montana’s National Native Children’s Trauma
Center (NNCTC) and Montana Safe Schools Center (MSSC) proposes
creation of a framework for dissemination to public health
departments, hospitals, clinics and schools in each of the Montana’s
56 counties, as well as the Montana Office of Public Instruction and
the Department of Public Health and Human Services. Intervention
and protocol training via the proposed Montana Resiliency Network
will be available through 9 regional trainings per funding year, with
trainer support, cross-agency referral, protocol, advocacy, and case
management assistance facilitated by 9 regional, part time staff.
The framework will outline clear, concise and practical, guidance for:
1) suicide prevention programming, 2) media messaging, 3) suicide
screening, 4) emergency department assessment, 5) patient referral,
6) follow up care, 7) emergency transportation,
8) workplace suicide prevention, 9) postvention and 10) training.
Resources will be created by the NNCTC / MSSC as well as drawn in
part from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), the U.S.
Department of Education, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline,
and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.
Network trainers will deliver best practice programs such safeTALK
(Suicide Alertness for Everyone), Applied Suicide Intervention Skills
Training (ASIST), Question Persuade and Refer, and Mental Health
First Aid and will complement efforts of the State of Montana Suicide
Prevention Office and directly support the goals of the State of
Montana 2014 Suicide Prevention Plan.
ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY
UM’s NCCTC and MSSC build upon over fifty years of
program work. Expertise in suicide prevention, response
and related trauma stems from prior, community based and
national level grant work with the U.S. Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration, the National Child
Traumatic Stress Network, publications with the American
Psychological Association and the Journal of School Mental
Health, and invitations to showcase work by entities such as
the American Association of Suicidology and the
International Association of Suicide Prevention.
FY 16 Budget Request: $1,475,650.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Rick van den Pol, Ph.D., Director
Institute for Educational Research and Service
406-243-6756 / rick.vandenpol@mso.umt.edu
Montana Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism
Monitoring Environmental Stress
The Montana Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism (WPEM) is a recognized, Regents approved research
center on the University of Montana campus (Missoula). Boasting two fully mobile laboratory setups, and a 3,550 square foot
facility, including an environmental chamber that can simulate nearly any location on earth, WPEM has become a preeminent
leader in occupational and environmental physiology. To improve the performance and safety of American warfighters,
WPEM provides practical, translational research of the highest caliber. Since inception in 2007, WPEM has:
•
•
•
Secured nearly $8 million in funding
Published 40 peer-reviewed publications
Established working relationships with: US Air Force (AFRL, AFSOC, Surgeon General), Department of the Army (DMRDP, USARIEM,
USAMRMC), Office of Naval Research (ONR), US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and the US Forest Service (USFS)
CRITICAL NEED: Objective management of physical stress using
combined environmental conditions and real-time physiological metrics
is not available. Present approaches that attempt to mitigate
environmental related injury are cost prohibitive, inaccurate, and unable
to aid in operational and/or training planning to reduce health risk
and/or enhance performance. The technologies exist to execute the
solution for this problem, but the incorporation of knowledge with the
technology is lacking. The purpose for further work is to broaden the
environmental stress physiological algorithms and predictive models
beyond a theoretical construct and collaborate with commercial
partners to advance findings towards product development.
WPEM has the scientific capabilities and the Federal wide connections to
collect additional laboratory and field data to demonstrate the cost
effectiveness and commercial potential of our environmental stress
models, furthering the research capabilities of the University of Montana
and contributing to economic development within the state.
Our objectives are:
• Transition research findings to increase the commercial viability of
these approaches and predictive models.
• Implement predictive models into physiological monitoring to reduce
the incidence of heat and cold related injury within the US military,
private industry, and youth and professional sport.
• Contribute to a reduction in accidental death from environmental
stress. Heat related injury is the leading cause of death and disability
from participation in high school sports.
ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY
We approach our research models with the use of a state of the art
research facility on the University campus and during aggressive field
studies using our three mobile research trailer systems. This
combination of efforts increases the capacity at which we can provide
meaningful data to teams and organizations within the operational
environment.
Our recent work with the Air Force, Army, Office of Naval Research, and
USSOCOM has led to the development of advanced predictive
algorithms that allow us to forecast environmental stress and the
degree to which individuals may be at risk for heat and/or cold related
injury or reduced performance. Using these models, we can A) preidentify candidates that are more susceptible to risk and B) provide a
real-time comprehensive physiological monitoring system to greatly
reduce injury risk while maximizing training adaptations.
Leveraging our cooperative agreements with the U.S. Army Research
Institute for Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) and data share
agreement with the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and our
collaborations with Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), we
have a unique capacity to serve the US military and other agencies to
better understand the physiological demands during training and
operational stress in every environment.
Immediate US military applications.
1. Provide the primary predictive algorithms for thermal and metabolic
management associated with the USSOCOM TALOS project directions.
2. Promote operationally specific training, accomplishing necessary heat
acclimation while minimizing the risk for heat injury (HRI).
3. Produce a heat readiness assessment tool that can be immediately
implemented into the US military training pipeline.
4. Allow for a user friendly, real-time interface so personnel can revisit the
metrics repeatedly to “re-assess” changes (both positive and negative) in heat
readiness after periods of deployment, detraining, re-assignment, etc.
5. Produce a pre-enrollment candidate fitness assessment tool to increase
recruiter/candidate success so that the issues recognized by the Commandant
(fitness and fatness) can be better established prior to entering US military
training pipelines.
FY 16 Budget Request: $500,000 – 1,000,000
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Brent C. Ruby, Ph.D., FACSM
Director, Montana Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism
The University of Montana
McGill Hall, Dept. of HHP
Missoula, MT 59812
(406) 243 2117, (406) 243 6252 fax
brent.ruby@umontana.edu
www.umt.edu/wpem